Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of a recent Mormon Stories Podcast Episode featuring Scott as a guest host. In early December 2022, John invited Scott to Mormon Stories to discuss some recent episodes.  John and Scott discuss Brian Harris, a recent guest on Rameumptom Ruminations who was an employee at church headquarters in the correlation… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 080: Mormon Stories Episode 1702 Mormon Church Headquarters Insider Speaks Out

After guest hosting an episode with John Dehlin on Mormon Stories Podcast, many new listeners began working through Scott’s catalog of episodes. Today, Scott will respond directly to some of the comments he received on the Mormon Stories episode. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

Many people stay engaged with the LDS church after deconstructing their faith, but that relationship looks different for everyone. In this episode, Scott brings on Patrick Mason to discuss nuanced membership within the LDS church. What does faithful dissent look like, or how can a member express their unorthodox position with their congregation? Patrick Mason… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 078: Nuance and Respectful Disagreement with Patrick Mason

After a short break, Scott returns to the podcast. Many people that leave the LDS faith are warned against leaving with threats of an unhappy life. “Your family will fall apart,” or “You’ll face incredible challenges in the workplace.” They uphold the idea that the problem of suffering only exists outside of the faith. In… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 077: A Break for My Mental Health

Is the Devil in the New Testament portrayed any differently than the Satan of the Old Testament? In this episode, Scott finishes a short series covering the Devil by focusing on the New Testament. Do not skip out on episodes 74 and 75. Those two establish key groundwork to understand this episode.  Sources Stokes, Ryan… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 076: The Devil of the New Testament

What is the origin of the word Satan? Do these earliest passages that use the term Satan match modern LDS beliefs about the devil? Sources Stokes, Ryan E. The Satan: How God’s Executioner Became the Enemy. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

Lucifer in the LDS faith is vastly different from other interpretations of the character. How does this version differ from that found in the Bible, or in other literature? In today’s episode, Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi joins Scott to compare different versions of the Son of the Morning. Kajsa is a former faculty member at BYU in… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 074: Speak of the Devil and He Shall Appear

Should an atheist post-Mormon engage with spirituality after deconstruction? What does mourning the loss of a loved one look like post-faith, or how can we make sense of suffering outside the constraints of religious ideology? In this episode, Brittney Hartley from the Almost Awakened Podcast comes onto the show to discuss her new course on… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 073: Spiritual Reconstruction with Brittney Hartley

This episode continues the series by reviewing the book No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie. Julia from Analyzing Mormonism returns to the discussion with her eye for detail. This section covers chapters 22 through 27. In this last section, we cover the last years in Nauvoo, Joseph’s presidential campaign, and the events leading… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 072: No Man Knows My History Review Part 4 with Julia from Analyzing Mormonism

Nolan returns to the podcast this week to continue the discussion on the Welfare and Self Reliance program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you missed last week’s discussion check it out here. In this episode, we pick up the discussion where we left off discussing the Perpetual Education Fund and… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 071: Welfare and Self Reliance Abroad Part 2

In this very special episode, Scott interviews a former full-time employee of the church who worked for the church in the Welfare and Self Reliance department overseas in a developing country. Today’s episode is part one of a two-part interview series. Be sure to check back next week as they continue their discussion. Nolan, the… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 070: Welfare and Self Reliance Abroad

This episode is in response to a few comments on the previous discussions about morality. One commenter offered an excellent criticism of the way Scott presented the concepts around the dichotomy of good and evil or right and wrong. The other discussed how their TBM family would have responded to Divine Command Theory. Please consider… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 069: Blind Obedience

On the heels of exploring bad reasoning for uncomfortable commandments, Scott dives into the infamous statement made by Elder Oaks regarding apologies. Do we take the statement out of context? Yes, but reading it in context does not make it better. Sources: Salt Lake Tribune YouTube Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 068: We Do Not Seek Apologies

The infamous Happiness Letter offers a glimpse into the morality used to justify the practice of Polygamy. In the letter, Joseph Smith uses an argument that will sound very familiar to the listeners of the previous episode. What implications does Joseph Smith’s logic have on right and wrong? Please Consider becoming a monthly recurring donor… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 067: The Happiness Letter

How can you be a moral person without God? Friends and Family pose this question to those of us that deconstruct religion and leave it behind. They cannot comprehend a code of morals that does not involve Deity. In this episode, Scott covers some problems with Divine Command Theory and where the theology of Mormonism… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 066: Divine Command Theory

Can the Church be changed into something I can see myself proudly a part of again, or is it too far gone to save? A listener messaged Rameumptom Ruminations with direct questions about what to do after a religious deconstruction. In this episode, Scott discusses the dichotomy of control as it relates to podcasting about… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 065: Be the Change You Want to See

In this episode, Scott joins the podcast Hie to Kolob and Beyond for a discussion on the prisoner’s dilemma. The tragedy of Antigone has interesting parallels to the story of King Noah and current events in the Modern Church. Please Consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

My last episode garnered excellent comments from listeners and warranted an episode dedicated to what you have to say. In this episode, we’ll hear how both believing and non-believing listeners responded to the relationship between revelation and surveys. Scott will be in Utah in late September. If you’re interested in getting together for dinner or… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 063: The Revelatory Power of Surveys

Is there still room for revelation within the LDS church? We learned last month from Brian Harris that the church uses surveys extensively in the decision-making process around its programs. What implications does this have on revelation within the church? In this episode, Scott discusses the idea of revelation and its space within LDS theology.… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 062: Revelation through Surveys

This episode continues the series by reviewing the book No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie. Julia from Analyzing Mormonism returns to the discussion with her eye for detail. This section covers chapters 15 through 21. We’ll cover a variety of subjects including liberty jail, and the influence of Masonry on the temple, and… Read More »Rameumptom Ruminations: 061: No Man Knows My History Review Part 3 with Julia from Analyzing Mormonism